


You Are So Far Away And I Just Need You Here

by Sheepgod



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Antarctic Empire, Bad Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Blood and Violence, Dadza, DreamSMP - Freeform, Eventual Happy Ending, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, but he has his reasons, smpearth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-19 12:34:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29874732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheepgod/pseuds/Sheepgod
Summary: Techno is just a child. A child that is forced to run a kingdom with the sudden absence of his father. The Antarctic Empire needs a ruler more than ever and through a series of unfortunate events, Techno sacrifices his relationship with his brothers for their safety, as well as, the safety of the kingdom.Wilbur and Tommy find themselves in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, grappling with the decisions their brother made. Tommy finds comfort in a certain little boy, that happens to be crowned prince while Will takes on the role of a parent, blaming anyone he can for the situation he has been put into.All of this while a certain war is approaching over the horizons, a room full of people with questionable loyalties is growing, and a father is missing in action.-In which I continually remind you that I am a Philza apologist while making questionable decisions with his character for plot development reasons.
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

Techno watches as Wilbur and Tommy play around with the other young kids. They are out in the open courtyard racing and weaving through guards in an intense game of tag. One of the older kids gets tagged by Wilbur, and he turns off towards Tommy, who had been clinging to Wilbur even though he had been it. 

Tommy races off from Wilbur and weaves through the feet of patrolling knights. The boy is about to catch up with him when Tommy suddenly stumbles and skids face-first into the dirt. Techno holds his breath, waiting to see Tommy's reaction to the painful fall while Wilbur rushes to his side. The whole courtyard seems to freeze up, watching the prince lookup in a dazed haze at Wilbur. 

The boy who had been chasing Tommy begins spluttering out an apology at the same time Tommy starts howling in laughter. The whole courtyard has an intake of breath as they realized that neither of the brothers was reacting negatively to the fall. They even resume playing after one of the guards help wipe away the blood leaking from Tommy's cheek. 

Techno's eyes track his brothers as they continue their game when a hand suddenly falls onto his shoulder. He jumps slightly at the sensation but quickly turns around to look at the new arrival. Dream is standing in front of him with a big grin on his face and a netherite sword on his hip. 

"Prince Techno, are you ready to begin training?" Dream asked, but he wasn’t expecting a reply, already turning away towards the yard. 

Dream is one of the youngest knights of the Antarctic Empire and yet one of the most talented. He would probably be in consideration for a high-ranking position if he lacked his youthful naivety, which could endanger thousands. 

Techno stepped out into the bright sunshine that led to the training yard. Several knights were training, but as soon as the prince entered, they cleared out. Many moved to the side so they could watch the training occur. The sun was beating down, an uncharacteristically hot day for the Antarctic Empire. Techno pulled an iron sword off the table while Dream did the same, leaving his wicked netherite blade gleaming on the table. 

The iron swords were sharp and could do severe damage, but the wood swords were for children, and royalty wouldn't be caught dead with a stone sword. That left them to train with the sturdy iron swords, which had already left their fair share of scars along Techno's body. 

Dream stood across from Techno, already in stance and waiting for Techno to make the first move. Techno sent a cut towards Dream, but Dream blocked it as if he were bored by it. Dream lazily sent a cut towards Techno, which shifted into a thrust and caused Techno to jump back away from the sharp blade. Dream repeated this action several times, forcing Techno into playing a defensive role and waiting for an opening. 

Techno could feel the frustration and anger growing in him each time the knight forced Techno to parry and jump away. Techno suddenly dodged away from the attack breaking into Dream's defense for a quick slash. It missed but made Dream pause, which allowed Techno to switch into offensive style. Techno began cutting toward Dream frantically.

This exchange of blows continued for a while as they both waited for a mistake to come. Suddenly Dream's sword cut through his defense and swiped Techno's chin. 

The cut was small, minuscule in fact, but now that blood had been spilled they both decided to stop and step away. Techno let his sword fall out of his hand, huffing in frustration. 

"You lost the fight the moment you took the offensive from me." Dream commented idly, seemingly unaffected by the amount of energy they had just exerted.

"What?" Techno said, taken aback. 

They had continued to exchange blows for five minutes after that, so he didn't understand how he had lost. The sweat dripped down into his eyes leading him to flinch slightly and rub his eyes clear.

"I was hoping you would regain control at some point," He paused, shaking his head like he was disappointed. "You were frantically trying to take me down and leaving so many openings that I could have exploited and killed you with. You have to learn to control that rage and channel it into something useful, at this rate, you will be killed the moment someone is trying."

Techno huffed, pushing his hair out of his face, and grabbing the sword off the ground. "Let's go again then."

They continued with practice until the sun reached the highest point in the sky, and Dream called for a break. Dream had been rough today, but that was nothing unusual as he took his job of training the prince seriously. It was almost a fact of life that one day the prince would be the only line of defense in his life-or-death situation. 

Techno made his way towards the dining hall, knowing that the rest of his family would also be on their way. As he entered, Philza rushed up and critically looked over him before lightly brushing his finger over the wound on his chin. Wilbur came racing in with Tommy fast on his heels, and just like that Philza's eyes were off him and onto Tommy. Techno could feel the concern radiating off of Phil as he checked Tommy's injury. Wilbur stood next to them, recounting the tales of the game. Phil wrapped his arms around both of them protectively, in a way he had never done for Techno.

Techno could feel his growing frustration as he watched Will laugh about the game of tag they had just played while Techno had to become the ‘good and proper’ prince. Will was only one year younger than him, and yet that made all the difference in their childhood experience. Techno knew that Philza cared about him, that wasn't in question; however, Phil's way of showing affection was so vastly different that it left Techno feeling obsolete. 

"How did training go today, Techno," Phil asked as they all took their respective seat around the table.

Phil sat at the head of the table with Techno to his right and Wilbur to his left while Tommy sat close to Will. The staff placed fruits and meats in front of them along with some drinks. It took only a few seconds for all the staff but one to completely clear out, after all, this was a dance done every day. 

"It went well. Dream managed to get few hits on me, but I was able to take him down once." Techno said, letting some pride leak into his voice. 

Phil gave him an approving look and patted his shoulder. There it was. That was how Phil showed affection towards Techno. Techno finally let himself relax at that show of pride, he allowed his shoulders to loosen and allowed his posture to slip. 

"Tommy, get your long legs away from me," Wilbur snapped in annoyance, pushing him away.

Tommy took Will's real annoyance in an easy stride, having been used to it for a while now.

"My legs are not long!" Tommy exclaimed loudly.

"Says the one who literally fell today because your legs couldn't hold you," Will said with a roll of his eyes. 

Tommy huffed in annoyance while Phil chuckled at that, and Techno could feel himself giving a small grin. A few more seconds passed as Techno shoved some fruit into his mouth.

"Tommy! Seriously move them! You have them all wrapped around me I can't even shift away." Wilbur snapped, pushing his food around in frustration. 

Tommy glanced at Phil and saw the dad glare that Phil was sending to Tommy. Tommy grumbled but shifted around. It wasn't long before Techno felt Tommy's long legs wrap around his. Techno glanced up at the young boy and saw the puppy dog eyes he was sending towards Techno. Techno rolled his eyes but didn't say anything about it. This led to Tommy having a wide grin on his face, which Techno couldn't help but reciprocate. 

Tommy had always been clingy since Phil brought him home, and while he usually stuck to Wilbur, he would cling to whoever would put up with it.

They continued to eat while Tommy talked. He was loud and at some points abrasive, but they all fondly listened to him. As they wrapped up the meal, Wilbur ran off to his lessons. Tommy shoved some more food into his mouth before following him out the door. Techno looked up at Phil and watched as he shoved a final piece of food in his mouth before standing. Phil was already walking briskly out the door by the time Techno was able to stand.

He jogged slightly to catch up, and they made their way to the Great Hall. Techno knew that today's princely activities just consisted of a meeting with the advisors. Philza breezed in the room, quickly taking his seat at the head of the table. George, Punz, and Callahan quickly stood, giving a quick bow to their king. 

Techno wasn't sure he had ever heard Callahan talk in these meetings. He isn't even sure if he has heard Callahan say anything outside of them. Techno took his position besides Phil, standing over his shoulder. Callahan pulled an old, dusty book out of his bag, passing it over to Phil. The leather covering the pages was worn and torn, and the pages had a yellow hue to them. 

Techno didn't think of himself as elitist, but the book looked as if it was rotting, and he couldn't believe how easily Phil flipped through it. The writing was a language Techno had never seen, but the drawing on it was clearly an enderpearl albeit with some strange discoloration in the middle. 

"The food stock is full, and we are fully prepared for the winter," George said, starting the meeting.

Phil hummed in acknowledgment but was more concerned with the book in front of him. None of the royal advisors even batted an eyelash at this behavior, as he had been doing this for weeks now. Callahan would pass him another dirty book, and he would obsessively flip through it. Techno had tried to ask what these books were about, but he was just shrugged off. 

"There have been more enderman out by the Manors. The nobility is getting frustrated," George said.

George always sounded so bored as he worked down the list of problems to talk with the advisors about. Techno couldn't help but wonder if George even wanted to be at these meetings or if it was just because he came from nobility.

"Send more knights out to them," Punz replied with a shrug. 

George rolled his eyes, "And what? Leave the lower towns that can't defend themselves to deal with the enderman?" 

"Precisely," Punz said, pointing towards George. "The nobility give the castle money. They are far more important than the peasants."

Techno glanced at Phil to see his reaction. A month ago, that comment would have put him in an uproar, but as of right now, he just continued flipping through the book. 

George rolled his eyes, but the other two at the table didn't care, so he relented. "Fine, more knights will be sent to the Manor."

Techno gazed down at the book his father was hunched over. His father was currently reading a big block of writing, and, for once, Techno wished he had paid attention in his language classes. He briefly wondered if Wilbur or Tommy were paying attention in their classes. Probably not, he decided as his father flipped to the next page.

Techno continued to get more and more lost in thought when Phil's chair suddenly scrapped the floor as it was being pushed back. Phil stood leading the other three to quickly follow.

"This was a good meeting, mates. I will be retreating to my cabinet for the rest of the evening." Phil commented, the dismissal clear. 

The three advisors retreated from the room to resume whatever activities that they had been up to before. Phil gathered up the book along with the bag Callahan had left in his spot. 

"Techno, you are dismissed for the rest of the night," Phil announced as he headed towards the doors, "Make sure you get enough sleep tonight." and he was gone.

Techno let out a little huff as he looked around the massive hall. He debated heading towards his chamber but decided that he wanted to go out into the yard. The halls of the castle were bustling as he walked towards the yard. Tommy sat in the middle of the yard, holding a worn wooden sword loosely in his grip. The sun had gone down and just left an orange glow over the blond boy's head. 

"Techno!" Tommy exclaimed, jumping up from where he was and running at his brother. "I was hoping you would come out here so we could play." 

Tommy gave Techno a wide grin as he hopped in front of him excitedly. Techno rolled his eyes but could feel the fond smile creeping onto his face. Techno reached over and grabbed another wooden sword, and they pretended to spar for a while. Darkness began creeping over the yard, so Techno gave a little huff and let Tommy smack the sword from his grasp. 

"Yes! I won!" Tommy began rapidly chanting in excitement.

Techno let him bounce up and down for a moment before running towards him a plucking him off the ground. Techno pulled Tommy close to his chest even as his feet started wildly kicking. Tommy was shouting to be put down right by Techno's ear, but Techno only tightened his grip.

"Wilbur, help!" Tommy shouted as he frantically hit Techno.

Techno furrowed his brows in confusion, trying to figure out why he was yelling at Wilbur when suddenly he was barreled into. They all fell to the ground in a giant heap, giggling and laughing. They all continued to lay like that for a moment before Tommy was desperately trying to pull his leg out from where it was caught under Techno. Techno laughed, rolling Wilbur off of him before scooting off of Tommy. They all moved together and sat in a circle facing each other. 

"How were your studies," Techno asked, bumping Wilbur’s thigh.

"Boring," He whined. "It was all about brewing and how to make certain potions. I am a prince. I won't ever have to touch a brewing stand in my life."

Techno rolled his eyes. Wilbur wasn't wrong per se, but they had been taught that they needed to be just as knowledgeable as the people they commanded. 

"Dad says that we have to have this knowledge to be respected." Techno reprimanded lightly. 

"I know. It is just so boring sometimes." Wilbur sighed.

"You're boring." Tommy joked, kicking Wilbur's shin lightly.

"I am not!" Wilbur shouted, suddenly diving towards Tommy. 

They wrestled on the ground for a moment before Tommy let out a loud squeal. Wilbur let him go, and Tommy scurried away into Techno's lap. He was getting a little too big to sit in laps, but Techno wasn't going to push him away.

"How was your class, Toms?" Wilbur asked.

Tommy threw his head back, only barely avoiding Techno's face. "It was geography today."

"So, it was fun," Wilbur stated with a wide grin.

"What? No!" Tommy shouted, pushing out of Techno's lap to smack Wilbur's chest. "It was boring and annoying." 

They sat in amused silence for a little bit before the bell rang signaling nightfall. Techno was the first to stand, but Wilbur and Tommy quickly followed, racing to the door, and beating him. Wilbur and Tommy turned towards Wilbur's bed-chamber while Techno continued to his own. Before he got too far, he felt a tug at his cape and turned around to see Tommy standing with an offer in his eyes. It was his way of asking if Techno wanted to sleep with them instead of alone in his room. Techno hesitantly shook his head before continuing down the hallway. 

He paused in front of the door that led to Phil's study. He could hear the flipping of book pages that signified his father was still working. He shifted, debating interrupting his work and telling him to go to bed, but, at last, he decided to keep moving towards his room.

Pushing through the door that led to his chamber, he waived towards the server in dismissal and began preparing for bed. The fire was already roaring to life from the server's preparations, warming the whole room. He undressed quickly, changing into his sleepwear. He blew the candle out near his window and settled into the big bed. It took some time, but soon he was drifting off to sleep.

Techno jumped back to reality from his dreamless state rather rapidly. It was jarring to go from floating in nothingness to his soft bed. Techno opened his eyes, glancing around the dark room. He briefly wondered why he had woken up so early when suddenly a thundering knock came from his door.

Techno grunted at the noise and began pushing the covers off of himself to greet whoever was at his door. George's head poked in before Techno was out of bed.

"The king is missing."


	2. Chapter 2

Techno had never managed to get to the Great Hall as quickly as that moment. He didn't even consider changing out of his nightclothes as he raced out of his room and down the long corridors. He pushed the doors open, finding Punz pacing the room while Callahan sat leaning against his folded hands. 

"What happened?" Techno demanded. 

His voice echoed around the large room causing Punz to freeze in his pacing and Callahan to glance up. George gave out a low huff as he pushed the doors shut before walking in front of the young prince. 

"This morning, the king's chamberlain went and checked on him because the king hadn't arrived last night. The king wasn't there, though, which lead the chamberlain to seek me out. I went to his cabinet and instead found a bunch of burned books and his crown." George gestures at the table, where Phil's crown was sitting. 

Techno wasn't sure how he had missed the crown up until this point, but the acknowledgment of it sent a spike of fear through him. Phil wasn’t one to just disappear, but the sight of the abandoned crown gives way to even worse possibilities. 

"Okay," He breathed out, trying to stay calm. "So what do we know?" 

"I think he left on his own volition," Punz spoke up. 

"What? He wouldn't just abandon his kingdom! Not without telling someone." Techno yelled, turning to face the man. 

The shout took everyone by surprise, including Techno. George's eyes widen, and he laid a heavy hand on Techno's shoulder, which Techno pulled away from. 

"Look," Punz puts his hands out in a pacifying gesture. "I'm just saying the room didn't show signs of a struggle. In fact, it seemed as if he spent time getting ready to leave with the sheer amount of books burned. He hasn't been attentive in the meeting with his old fucking books." Punz was getting more heated as he kept talking, "Hell, I don't know the last time he even made a decision in those meetings. Maybe he just decided to leave cause he was tired." 

Techno couldn't control the rush of anger that went through him. He rushed at Punz, putting all of his weight into the run. Callahan moved in front of Punz, grabbing the young prince and pulling him away. 

"I hate to say it, but he isn't wrong," George mumbles, barely loud enough for the whole room to hear. He continues a little louder, "He has been absent from every decision made the last few months. I agree with Punz. I think he left on his own choice." 

Techno violently pulled away from Callahan's grasp. "He wouldn't just abandon us. We are his family." There is a pause and then a weaker, "He wouldn't just abandon me." 

The three adults shared a look of pity at the usually emotionless boy in front of them. Techno barely noticed, though, too caught up in his thoughts. He couldn't grasp why his father would abandon him and his brothers, especially when Techno wasn't anywhere near being ready to run the kingdom on his own. 

Callahan cleared his throat, his eyes hesitantly trailed over the young prince. "The books the king was requesting were about the stronghold." 

Techno stared in confused wonder at the man who he had never heard speak. George and Punz both seemed surprised by this as well, but Callahan kept talking, unfazed by their shock. 

"The stronghold was an area Phil had discovered before the empire was founded." His voice got rougher as he continued, "When discovered the empire had done research upon the remnants of a library and discovered a portal to another dimension." 

"Like the Nether?" George asked, clearly confused. 

"I don't really know." Callahan gave a small shrug. "I wasn't working with Phil until the establishment of the empire, so I hadn't heard of it until recently. All Phil said was that it was the remnants of a society that was destroyed by whatever was on the other side. I never even read the books, just passed them to Phil as I was asked." 

"Wait. So there is a whole other dimension that has been kept secret for years now?" George asked in shock. 

Callahan gave a slight nod. 

"You are missing the important part. There is something powerful on the other side." Punz said, gesturing at George. 

Techno swayed as that conversation continued. He could feel his whole world tumbling apart at his feet, and he was powerless to stop it. Techno couldn't even focus on the conversation, as he just kept imagining his dad dead in another realm. 

"-he is just twelve. What do you expect?" George's voice cut through Techno's thoughts. 

"He has been trained for this his whole life. I am expecting a king." Punz retorted. 

Techno squared his shoulders, throwing a glare at the two men who were absorbed in their quarrel. He looked at Callahan, schooling his expression. 

"Where is the stronghold?" Techno asked in a steady voice. 

Punz and George stopped their argument in surprise before turning and staring at Callahan for the answer. Callahan gestured before walking out of the room. George and Punz quickly scurried after him. 

Techno sighed, glancing around the large hall. He closed his eyes, wishing to return to the previous day when the responsibilities were still on his father's shoulders and not on his. He heard footsteps approaching, so he grabbed the crown and followed the three out. 

The footsteps he had heard were George, who led him to the stables. The dark sky obscured his vision but, he could see that Punz already had four horses pulled out, but Callahan was nowhere in sight. 

"Where did Callahan go?" Techno asked. 

Punz gave a faint shrug as he wrestled with one of the horses equipping the saddle. Techno stared at Punz as he shoved the saddle onto the next horse. As he was staring, he realized which horse he was staring at. 

"Why is Phil's horse here?" Techno asked, confusion lacing his tone. 

Punz gave another shrug, "Not sure. Carl seemed anxious to go though, and one of the younger horses was missing." 

"So he took an inexperienced horse over his own?" George questioned. 

They sat in silence for a moment as they digested that new piece of information. Techno didn't understand why Phil would willingly leave behind his horse. 

Callahan suddenly appeared through the closest door with his hands full of items. As he approached the group, Techno recognized most of the items as clothes. He handed Techno a white tunic first, which Techno pulled over his nightshirt, and then he clipped a blue cape onto his shirt. Callahan then traded him a netherite sword and sheath for the crown he had been holding. Techno strapped on the sheath and shoved the sword into it, and then Callahan plucked the crown onto his head. 

"Kingly," George said appraisingly. 

Techno shook his head slightly but didn't say anything, instead, he turned and pulled himself on top of Carl. He shouldn't be looking like a king because Phil was still out there, but he didn't want to waste time and argue with them. 

The other three followed his lead, pulling themselves up on their horses before Callahan led them out of the castle. Techno was glad for the dark sky as they rode through the small towns towards the forest. He couldn't even begin to imagine how the citizens would take this information. 

"What about Wilbur and Tommy?" Techno suddenly asked. He had forgotten about them in all the chaos. 

Punz shrugs, "What about them? If we find the king, then they will continue their studies, and if we don't, then they will continue their studies." 

"I mean do they know?" Techno asked in sudden panic. He was riding away from the castle without telling his brothers that their father was missing. 

"Not yet. We have just found out, announcing it around the castle would do nothing but cause chaos." George said. 

They had all slowed their horses down to have this conversation. Techno paused, realizing how awful this situation really was. Techno suddenly pulled Carl to a stop, and the three advisors followed, hesitantly coming to a stop. 

"Someone needs to stay behind at the castle," Techno said. 

"What? We need to explore the stronghold," Punz said in confusion. 

"We do, yes. But my dad just went missing, and there is a castle full of people that don't know that yet." Techno paused, debating the situation over in his head. He would prefer to send Punz off, but logically George should take care of the castle. "George, go back. Don't tell anyone what has happened, but have the guard patrols increased and keep Dream by your side." 

George opened his mouth to object. 

"That is an order," Techno said firmly. "And like I said, don't tell anyone anything yet." 

George looked frustrated, but he bowed his head and turned back towards the castle. Techno prompted Carl to keep walking, and the other two followed quickly. 

"There is some of that kingliness," Punz said under his breath. 

Techno was able to make out the words, and he sent a glare towards Punz but didn't say anything about the comment. They rode through the town for a while in silence. 

Techno wished that anything that had occurred in the last few hours made sense, but he really couldn't comprehend it. Phil had disappeared in the middle of the night, not telling anyone. Techno still wasn't entirely convinced that Phil left on his own will, but he must admit the advisors had made a good point. He realized that he should of went and looked at the cabinet room before they had set out, but it was too late to turn back at this point. 

"What did his cabinet look like?" Techno asked, Punz, whose horse was trotting right alongside Carl. 

Punz glanced around at the dark roads of the outer towns before replying. "The books Callahan had been retrieving for him were piled high all around the room. There were pages torn out and piled up around his desk, and his fire, which had gone out, was full of ash. It stunk like burnt leather, and surely enough, there was burnt leather hidden beneath the ash." 

"So he spared the time to burn books?" Techno asked. 

"Seems like it. At first, I was convinced somebody had kidnapped him, but that doesn't make any sense." 

"He is the king, how does that not make sense?" Techno asked, confused. 

"There is little leverage to gain in kidnapping the king. I mean, why not you? The king would give up everything to get one of his sons back. If it was an assassination, then they would display the body somewhere; however, we went a whole night without knowing anything had happened. We would have also been in immediate danger, and yet no problems ever arose." Punz explained simply. 

Techno hummed, digesting that information. Punz was being very logical and rational about the subject, which was more than Techno could say for himself. Techno would love to blame this chaos on anyone other than his father, but Punz was right, this seemed like Phil chose to leave. 

Callahan's horse suddenly stepped on a leaf, crunching through the silence. Techno jumped at the noise, glancing around and realizing how far out from the castle they now were. The town gave way to woods quickly, and the group soon found themselves stepping into the forest line. They trotted down an overgrown trail for a moment when the groan of a zombie interrupted the silence. Punz took his bow off of his back and shot a quick arrow through the monster. 

Techno knew that the further away from the castle, the worse the monsters would get, but he had never experienced it firsthand. He glanced over his companions, noting that they seemed more prepared for this trip than he was. Callahan had his diamond sword on one hip and a crossbow equipped to the other. Punz had his netherite sword and his bow, as well as armor that Techno swore, he never took off. 

Skeleton bones were the next sound to pull Techno from his thoughts though the arrow that Punz sent flying through the sky just left a pile of bones. They continued like this for a while, a noise would be heard, and Punz would shoot it down before any harm came. 

Finally, after what felt like forever to Techno, Callahan brought his horse to a stop. Callahan jumped down from his horse and began towards a little cave in the ground. Techno quickly followed, backed up by Punz, who had unsheathed his sword. 

The cave got darker the further in they went, and Techno found himself tripping over rocks several times. The cave turned again, and Techno lost sight of Callahan for a second, but as he made the same turn, he could finally see some light at the end of the tunnel. 

Callahan pushed a button and disappeared behind a closing iron door. Techno pushed the button, following him into a stone brick hallway that was musty and seemed to be unending. Callahan was already disappearing as Punz made it through the door. 

"Woah, slow down this is like a maze!" Punz yelled, rushing past Techno to find Callahan. 

Callahan did slow down, and they made their way through the maze of tunnels. Techno did a double-take when they passed old cells. Something was foreboding about those broken-down cells, and it filled Techno with discomfort and dread. Callahan eventually led them to an open room with a strange structure in the middle. 

"The portal room," Callahan stated and then gestured down another hall. "and that leads to the library." 

Punz walked up the steps leading to the portal, crouching down and inspecting the area. Techno followed him, careful to avoid the hole in the middle. There were twelve circular areas that seemed to be missing an item. 

"These are warm," Punz said, brushing his hand against the frames. 

Punz pulled his finger away, and he had a red powder coating his finger. Techno watched him closely examine it before bringing it to his nose and taking a quick sniff. 

"It is blaze powder," Punz said, glancing at Techno. "I think the king went through here recently." 

Techno felt himself falter slightly. Punz was right, that was almost a guarantee at this point. Techno was surprised by how this felt so much like a punch in the gut. Techno swallowed around the lump in his throat, pushing the betrayal down and continuing to look around the abandoned structure. 

Techno went down the stairs, past Callahan, and into the library that he had gestured at earlier. The shelves were filled to the roof with books, and while some were seemingly missing, it was still quite full. He heard footsteps behind him of Callahan and Punz following him. 

"Phil had requested for all the books I could find relevant to the stronghold." Callahan supplied from where he was leaning against the doorway. 

"Did you give him all of them?" Punz asked, rubbing his hand along the spine of the books. 

Callahan shrugged, "Not sure, I only had made it through four of these bookshelves." 

Techno wandered through the bookshelves, counting eight different shelves. All eight reached the ceiling, and some even had books stacked on top of each other for more room. 

"Do you know anything about the 'important, powerful thing'?" Techno called from the back of the room. 

"No." Callahan simply replied. 

Techno sighed, rubbing his face. The dust was getting into his nose and making his eyes water. He pushed through a few cobwebs before circling back to the entrance where Callahan was still leaning. Punz moved over to them as well with a worn book in his hand. 

"I want to go after him," Techno announced. "If it is true, about something being on the other side, then he is going to need help." 

"I think that your focus should be on the people of the Empire," Punz said delicately. 

Techno turned towards him with a confused look. "What? He is going to need help." 

"You are the acting king right now," Punz began, watching Techno violently shake his head. "As long as Phil is gone or disappeared or whatever, then you are the acting king. We can do research and look for him, but you have the Empire to run." 

"I am not the king. He is until he dies." Techno said with an absolute tone. 

"He could be dead for all we know!" Punz snapped. "This fucking entity, or whatever, could have killed him the moment he stepped through for all we know." 

Techno was fuming at this. "We don't know if he is dead! We have to search!" 

"I didn't say we don't search. I said that you shouldn't search. You have more important responsibilities to attend to right now." Punz amended. 

"Why aren't you angrier about this!" Techno was shaking at this point. "You are the general over his army. You are supposed to tear cities down for him." 

"I will tear a city down for any king of the Antarctic Empire, including you. I will tear down the thing on the other side, but I will only lead my knights over when we know what we are facing. Hell, we don't even know how to open the portal right now. What we do know is that the Empire was just abandoned by the king and is going to need a new ruler. You can either stand up and take the position, or you can let us, advisors, hold it until you are ready, but we will not be letting the Empire fall into chaos so you can rush into another dimension for the king who may or may not be dead." Punz yelled, his face was red, and he was panting by the end. 

Techno couldn't help the involuntary step back he took. He felt thoroughly scolded. 

"You can't talk to your king like that," Techno said, but even to his own ears, it sounded weak. 

"Act like a king, and I will never talk to you like that again," Punz said with folded arms, staring at Techno like he was challenging the young prince. 

Techno took a deep breath, trying to settle some of the anger in him. "Callahan, I want you and a few knights to gather these books up and transport them back to the castle. Once that is done, I want you to make your way through them and learn all that you can. When we have enough information about the situation on the other side, we will follow my dad through." 

Punz nodded approvingly, and Callahan threw the young king a thumbs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> King Techno pog.

**Author's Note:**

> Buckle up, boys! This one is going to be long.
> 
> The training scene might read a little odd, but that was me attempting to write one before we get into more serious sword-fighting scenes, so hopefully, it didn't sound too awkward.
> 
> Anyway, just an FYI I will try to put trigger warnings at the beginning of chapters, but if I miss something that should be tagged as one just let me know and I will add it!


End file.
